HILO, Hawai'i — A former state energy manager is calling for Hawai'i to change its energy habits as costs spiral upward and the Islands maintain a potentially dangerous dependency on foreign fossil fuels.

"The crisis is here, and it's going to be a long one," said Maurice Kaya, now a strategic energy and management consultant. "We are well beyond the time to act, and business owners need to be pro-active in demanding clean energy at predictable costs from suppliers. We are precariously dependent on oil, but there are some things we can do."

Kaya, former chief technology officer at the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, spoke Friday in Hilo at the Hawaii Island Energy Forum, which drew more than 100 state and local officials and business people.

Kaya noted the state now gets 99 percent of its fossil fuels from foreign sources, a change from the past when Alaskan oil was dominant.

Kaya said the state needs to achieve maximum efficiency through an emphasis on solar water heating systems, photovoltaic systems and energy-efficient homes based on federal standards.

The local government also needs to pressure Hawaii Electric Light Co. to use more renewable energy sources, such as geothermal, wind and hydro-generated energy, he said.

HELCO President Jay Ignacio said the island's electricity supplier has been moving toward becoming less dependent on foreign fuels by replacing them with renewable energy forms.

This year, 35 percent of Big Island electricity is derived from wind farms, hydroelectric systems and geothermal power sources, he said.